Former West Bengal, Finance Minister Amit Mitra

Former West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra on Wednesday alleged that the Narendra Modi-led Central Government’s official unemployment figures grossly understate the actual joblessness in India.

Mitra, the Principal Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister, claimed that the Centre’s data, particularly from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), was misleading the people of the country by reporting unemployment as low as 4.9 per cent for the year 2023-24.

Mitra cited a recent survey conducted by Reuters, stating that 70 per cent of the leading global economists questioned the credibility of India’s official jobless figures.

“It is shocking that the Modi govt’s survey ON UNEMPLOYMENT, (PLFS) MISLEADS the citizens into believing that unemployment in India is as low as 4 per cent or thereabouts. 70 per cent of leading economists of the world, recently surveyed by Reuters, believe that the official jobless data of Govt of India is not only inaccurate, but tactfully ‘MASKS’ the severity of joblessness in the country,” Mitra posted on social media site X.

“The trick lies in the DEFINITIONS of employeds & unemployeds. Even unpaid family labour is considered employed !! Even 1 hour of some economic activity ‘a week’ makes the person ‘employed’!! Thereby, DROPPING THEM ALL FROM THE UNEMPLOYED LIST,” he said.

“Now, where lies the ground reality on this matter?” Mitra said, adding in contrast to the Government’s 4.9 per cent unemployment estimate, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) placed the rate at 8.05 per cent, nearly double.

“In fact, the absolute figure of unemployment has repeatedly pierced the 40 MILLION mark- close to the entire POPULATION OF SPAIN,” he pointed out.

Mitra also noted that what is more concerning is that, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 83 per cent of India’s unemployed are youth, underscoring a generational crisis in employment.

The Central Government “must” address the growing “trust deficit”, he said, adding that the truth must not be concealed.

Published on July 23, 2025